In the third quarter of the Bulls’ win over the Sixers on Saturday, Rip Hamilton was forced to leave the game with a foot injury, the severity of which was unknown at the time.

Hamilton returned in the game’s closing seconds to ice it for his team at the free throw line, but afterward, his comments on what had happened seemed to hint that the injury was one that was pretty serious.

“As soon as I came up off my feet, I felt something on the bottom of my foot,” Hamilton said. “I felt something pop.”

That’s usually the worst thing a player can say in this situation, and an MRI Sunday revealed that Hamilton had torn the plantar fascia in his left foot. But in this case, it might actually be better news than if it had only been a sprain.

It turns out Richard Hamilton tore his plantar fascia in his left foot late in the third quarter of the Bulls Saturday night win over the 76ers, according to Bulls sources.

But that’s sort of the good news.

Plantar fasciitis, the painful inflammation on the bottom of the foot, can last months. At times, treatment will include a tear so the healing can begin more quickly. Thus, this is not generally considered as serious an injury and Hamilton could play again in a week or two.

Hamilton has been up and down this season statistically, but he’s averaging close to 14 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting in 27 minutes of action. Expect to see more of Jimmy Butler and Marco Bellinelli at the two while Hamilton is out.